Exposure to non-endemic arboviruses (alphaviruses) in Costa Rica assessed from human samples collected in areas with contrasting levels of dengue endemicity.

Arboviruses represent a global public health challenge. The lack of diagnostic protocols and the presence of asymptomatic infections complicate confirmatory diagnostics. Alphaviruses, such as the equine encephalitis viruses, can cause severe outbreaks and are usually misdiagnosed as dengue.

[Viral etiology of severe acute respiratory infections in a pediatric intensive care unit].

Objectives.: To identify the main viral etiological agents in patients with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) hospitalized in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and to analyze their clinical characteristics.

Materials And Methods.

Epidemiologic surveillance of nosocomial infections in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of a developing country.

Background: Nosocomial Infections (NI) are a frequent and relevant problem. The purpose of this study was to determine the epidemiology of the three most common NI in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit from a developing country.

Methods: We performed a prospective study in a single Pediatric Intensive Care Unit during 12 months.